The Leeds Greenwave will head out on the road to face off against the Tuscaloosa Academy Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Leeds will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Leeds took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with an 8-4 win over John Carroll Catholic.
Gavin S Howard looked comfortable as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Leeds let Graham Gulock and Grayson Ford run wild. Gulock scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Ford scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That's the most runs Ford has posted since back in February.
Meanwhile, Tuscaloosa Academy got themselves on the board against Bibb County on Thursday, but Bibb County never followed suit. They skirted past the Choctaws 2-0.
The result came thanks to Harwood Beeker's shutout, as he gave up just two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Tuscaloosa Academy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ellis Hamiter, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Tuscaloosa Academy hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive matches.
Tuscaloosa Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-17 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.9 runs over those games. As for Leeds, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-10.
Tuscaloosa Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Leeds hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. It's a different story for Tuscaloosa Academy, though, as they've only averaged .224. Will they be able to contain Leeds' hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
